The Osceola times., 1887-02-19
THE PENSION VETO.
The Dependant Pension Bm Re-
oeives a Black Eye.
synopsis of President Cisveiands Eihsuse-
i've Message to Congress Explaining
His Reasons for Withholding his
Signature From the Measure

Signature From the Measure
WAsuISoroy, Feb l2-The President In
his veto of the Dependent Pension oill
saws that the almost constant pension leg
isiation since the close OF the war mas
placed upon the pension rolls soo' IoS pen
sioners Of all classes, for whom s'o'o'o'-
300 have been appropriated for the current
year, and for whom sos, ,6sf, sil have oeeh
expended from 1861 TO 1885. II Is now pro-
posed TO award service pensions TO SOL
ders Of all wars at the rate OF sil per
month. It exacts only service OF three
months, without requiring engagement III
battle or subject to any actual dangers Oh
war. The pension is allowed to men VINO
have suffered no injury, loss or damage OF
any kind due to military service, ana IN
cludes those who never reached the 'front.'
AZ all The section Of the bill allowing
his pension is in language so uncertain as
to be subject to unjust and mlschievous
application. The persons seeking pension
must be suffering moral or physical as
ability. such as incapacitates from the
performance of labor in such degree as
10 render them unable to earn support,
and must be dependent on their daily
labor for support.
Passing on TO a consideration OF thelr
conditions, the President adds:
at will be observed that there Is no lin
itation or definition Of the incapacitating
injury or ailment itself 1t need only be
such a degree Of disability from any cause
as renders the claimant unable to earn
support by labor II seems to me that the
support here mentioned as one which
can not be earned is a complete and entire
support, with no diminution on account OF
the least impairment Of physical or men
tai condition. IL it had intended to en-
brace only those who, by disease or labor,
were totally unable to labor, 1t would
have been very easy TO express that idea,
instead OF recognizing, as is done. adegree
Of such inability"
And then he asks: "What is a supportf
Who is TO determine whether man earns
Ii. or has II, or has IL noti Is the Govern
ment to enter the homes of claimants for
pensions, and after an examination OF
their surroundings and circumstances,
settle those auestionsf Shall the Govern
ment say 10 one man that his manner. Of
subsistence by his earnings is q support,
and to another that the things that
his earnings furnish are not a supporti
Any attempt, however honest, to admin
lister this law in such a manner, would
necessarily produce more unfairness and
discrimination. aud give more scope for
partisan partiality aud would result in
more perverson of the Governments be-
nevolent intentions than the execution OF
any statute ought to permit. If the effort
TO carry out the proposed law, the degree
Of disability as related TO earnings be
considered for the purpose OF showing II
In any way it curiails the support which
the applicant, If entirely sound, would
earn, and to which he ia entitled, we enter
the broad field long occupied by the Pen
sion Bureau, and we recognize as the only
difference between the proposed legisla-
tion and previous laws passed for the be-
nefit of the surviving soldiers OF the civil
war, the incurrence, in one case, OF dis
abilities in military service, and In the
other disabilities existing but in no way
connected with, or resulting from such
service"
1T must be borne In mind that in no
case is there any grading OF this proposed
pension. Under the operation the rule
first suggested, il there is a lack In any
degree, great or small, Of the ability TO
earn such support as the Government de-
termincs the claimant should have, and
by the application Of the rule secondly
suggested If there 10 a reduction IN any
| degree of the support which he mightearn
| II sound, he Is entitled to a pension Of
twelve dollars.
"ln the latter case and under the
| proviso OF the proposed bill, permitting
| persons now receiving pensions to be ad-
| mitted to the benefits of the act, | do not
see how those now on the pension roll, for
| disabilities incurred in the service and
which diminish their earning capacity,
can be denied the pension provided In this
| binn
Another condition required of claimants
under this act is that they shall be 'de-
| pendent upon their daily labor for sup
| port" Under the provisions Of this sec
ton, any soldier, the President thinks,
whose faculties Of mind or body have be-
come impaired by accident. disease or age,
irrespective Of his service in the army, and
who by his labor only is left incapable Of
| gaining the fair support he might with
unimpaired powers have provided for him
self, and who is not so well endowed with
this worlds goods as to live without work,
may claim to participate in this bounty |;
that it is not required that he should be
without property, but only that labor
should be necessary to his support in some
degree; nor is it required that he should be
now receiving support from others.
Recent observation and experience con
strain the President to refer to another re
suit sure TO follow the passage Of this bill
| There can be no doubt, he says, that the
race after pensions offered by the bill
would not only stimulate weakness and
| pretended incapacity for labor, but put
fpptbnr prapnfupn
dacity. More than this, while cost should
not be set against patriotic duty or the
recognition of right; still, when meas
ure proposed is based upon generosity or
motives Of charity, 1t is not amiss TO medi.
tate somewhat upon the expense 1t in
wolves. Experience, the President says,
has demonstrated that all estimates con
cerning the probable future cost Of pen
sion list are uncertain and unreliable, and
always fall below the actual realization,
and in support Of his assertions, says;
"The chairman OF the House committee
on pensions calculates that the number Of
| pensioners under this bill would be 80, lO5,
| and the increased cost 81, 767 100; this is
| upon the theory that only those who are
| entirely unable to work would be its ben.
efciaries. Such was the principle Of the
| revolutionary pension law of 1873 much
more clearly stated, II seems to mo, than
in this bill. When the law of 1918 was up
on its passage in Congress, the number OF
| pensioners to be benefited thereby was
thought TO be 374; but the number Of ap.
plicants under the act was 80, 297, and the
number Of pensions actually allowed %, =
ass, costing, it is reported, for the first
year, sl,s41,9U, instead of $4,000, the es-
timated expense for that period.
"a law was passed in 1853 for the benefit